BMW v Mercedes v Audi: £1,000 DRAG RACE!

If you wanted a luxury German saloon without the luxury price tag, you’d probably consider buying a used car… But how about a used car that’s over 20 years old!?

Well, Mat’s got his hands on an Audi A4, BMW 3 series and a Mercedes C-class all from the early 2000s to see if opting for a classic saloon is worth it. Oh, and he’s going to drag race them of course!

First up the Audi A4. It’s covered 129,000 miles and has a 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 130hp & 195nm. That power goes to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

Then there’s the Mercedes C180. It's driven 126,000 miles and has a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder engine with a supercharger. It puts out 141hp & 220nm. That power goes to the rear-wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

Then finally, there’s the BMW 318i. It's covered 88,000 miles and has a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated inline four-cylinder engine that makes 140hp & 200nm. That power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox

So, which one of these old saloon cars will be Mat’s favourite? Keep watching and find out!

[uncle_benz.]

I want you to know:
This is the most fun and interesting type of comparison videos! Do more like this pls!

[luciancormos]

The Merc not only had engine issues, but also bigger diameter wheels. That also affects acceleration...

[Eze_dnb]

I love the shot of the camera car going faster than all of them😂

[KiceDz]

M271 Owner here: The Mercedes has Rod Knock btw It shouldn't sound so scratchy :) Probably loses compression on one of the cylinders you can easily hear it at 5:04 + Transmission is cooked as well, Clutch is probably extremely worn check the acceleration at 21:45 vs the RPM .

I understand the challenge is to get it for less than 1000 quid, but the C180K in good condition goes for a little bit more usually :)
Never buy a beater sedan and expect not to spend 200% of the purchase price on parts and repairs. Just get a solid sample.

[julianvogel]

put them on the dyno! I'm curious to see what power they make after more than 20 years

[TheGhiaDriver]

The A4 would be a tank with the 1.9 TDI. Thar era of audi was great, understated, classy, respectable.

[dollarnne]

The Benz Monoblock wheels are $1, 000 alone in the States lol

[Brik]

as a 318 owner myself... I must say the. tax / insurance / fuel. aka the yearly cost needs to be updated to include about 1k in cooling system repairs 1k in suspension components and 1k in random gaskets.

[danamoradi]

As an owner of a w203 c200 kompressor. I can tell you with confidence that there was something wrong with the mercedes.

[SUHAIL]

I have an A4 2.0 B6 in arctic white with the black leather here in SA with 762000km/473484, 848miles. Had it since new in 2005 and it hasn't skipped a beat. Still rides like a dream (because of a lot of maintenance) Now time to watch the video and perhaps be disappointed with the results of the test 😅

[ginovanderweijden]

The wheels on the mercedes are more worth than the car. You are underestimating them Matt😅

[ablomandela]

I’ve a Bmw 328i E46 still going strong. Very reliable

[Eduhardlock]

As an owner of a e46, it does have a spare wheel. It's alocated beneath that plastic circular cover, Matt! BMW had attention to details, even beneath the boot floor. Those were the good old days!

[superfast]

I owned a B6 A4 1.8T Quattro back when they were new. I put on over 160000 KM's on it, it was extremely reliable and an absolute monster in the snow!

[namabaentaras]

That must be the cheapest 30 min of content on carwow. Total cost equals gas cost of a single car competing in other episodes.😂

[acevanefan]

I love the budget beater videos. Keep them coming Matt. Do something with the classic mini please.

[victorcalvv]

I had an A4 1.9TDI for 21 years... end of the story. Audi for the win! Best interior ever!!

[UncalBertExcretes]

I recently brought a 2003 mercades c200 kompressor for £1200 with just 54k miles and a full mercades service history. Best £1200 ive ever spent, car is like new

[TheBassBaritone]

1. It is an undeniable fact that these 3 companies are truly amazing in producing top quality vehicles.
2. How much the interior is worn or destroyed depends on the owner. Simple review of how the interior stood the time was enough.
3. The tires can be a key factor in the drag race between older vehicles.
4. There was something definitely wrong with the Mercedes engine.
5. Please do more of this videos!

[XClauBroX]

You should do the same video but with the Diesel variants. Would also be fun.